Dreamscape
by yumi-maki
Summary: You never know who you'll meet in a dream. Gaara learns this truth in his very first one. Ch 2 Temari's dream is invaded by an unwelcome visitor.
1. Mother

**Setting: After the Rescue Gaara arc**

**Glossary: oka-san means mother.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Dreamscape**

Gaara looked around - he was standing in the middle of a warm, brightly lit room. Off to the side, he could hear his siblings arguing about something of no importance.

Someone was tugging on his clothes. He looked down and saw a pair of pale, smooth hands fixing his outfit. Instinctively he pulled away but the person held him fast.

"Stay still, Gaara – kun!" a high, feminine voice admonished him.

He looked up, trying to see the person's face but strangely it seemed to be veiled in shadow.

"Gomen,' he answered as he ceased struggling and relaxed in her grasp.

"It's alright," she said, her voice soothing now as she patted his cheek. "Come and look in the mirror." She began pulling him to the full length mirror on the far left wall.

He could see clearer now and he looked around the room. It had a quaint, homey feel and he was surprised at how familiar everything seemed to him.

They reached the mirror and Gaara looked in. His eyes widened comically as he took in his appearance – he was a raccoon. Well, not exactly - he was dressed in a furry, grey raccoon costume.

He opened his mouth to ask the woman what exactly was going on when he was roughly pushed, "Get a move on, brat! You're keeping us back," Kankurou said as he looked into the mirror. Kankurou was dressed as usual in all black – black pants, a black hoodie and black sneakers. The only colour on him was his purple face paint.

"Kankurou," the woman said, her voice hard and menacing, "apologize to your brother." After a moment's pause, she added, "And _mean_ it."

Kankurou frowned as he turned to Gaara, "Sorry about that. You're not really keeping us back,' then he leaned down to Gaara's level and grinned before whispering, 'Temari is."

"I heard that," came the eldest sibling's voice as she stalked over to the mirror. "Move Kankurou,' she commanded and Kankurou complied, rolling his eyes all the while.

Temari was wearing a matching blue and white sweater and skirt – it looked like a uniform of some sort, "Why are you dressed like that?" Gaara asked her.

She didn't even spare him a glance as she fixed her outfit, "I'm going as a cheerleader."

"Going? Going where?"

Finally Temari looked at him, an incredulous look on her face, "Gaara, don't be stupid. You're the reason we're even doing this! I certainly didn't want to go trick – or – treating."

"Speak for yourself," Kankurou said, "I'd never give up the chance to get free candy."

Suddenly a tinkling, delicate bell was heard. "That must be your friends. Go on," the woman said, ushering the three of them out of the room.

Costumes? Trick – or – treating? Free candy? Gaara didn't have a clue what was going on but everyone else seemed to think that this was normal so he didn't question it. He simply followed his siblings down the stairs and out to the front hall.

"Alright, here you go," the woman said as she picked up three plastic Halloween - themed bags and handed them to each sibling.

Then she turned to Temari, "Alright Temari, now you're in charge. I want you to watch over your brothers, ok? Make sure that they don't wander off anywhere and get lost."

Temari nodded, "I always do."

"Kankurou,' he looked up, 'Just...behave. And don't give your sister any trouble."

Kankurou nodded, his face a mask of innocence but Gaara saw when he crossed his fingers behind his back, "I'll try."

"Alright, go on you two. I want to talk to Gaara alone."

Kankurou and Temari nodded and slipped out of the door, saying as they did, "Ja ne, oka – san!"

Gaara froze at his siblings' words. Then he turned slowly to his face his mother. She smiled and stooped to his level and he realized with a jolt that her face was now fully visible.

"Do you recognize me now, Gaara – chan? Or should I say Gaara - sama?" she asked, a wry smile on her lips.

"How did you...?"

She smiled even wider, touching his face gently, "I've been watching you, Gaara – kun. Didn't you know?"

He shook his head and she nodded, ghosts of tears suddenly appearing in her eyes, "I'm sorry, little one. All that pain you felt...because of me..."

Gaara shook his head fiercely, "It's not your fault! I don't blame you - I never have."

She studied his face as though trying to determine whether or not he was speaking the truth, "I hope that that's true,' She paused for a second before continuing, "I'm proud of you, you know. You seem to be doing well."

"I - I try…and Kankurou and Temari, they help a lot."

She smiled and looked at the door wistfully, "I'm glad that you three have found a way to be a family,' the longing was manifest on her face, 'You don't know how much I wished that I didn't have to leave you three."

Fear gripped Gaara, "What do you mean?"

She sighed and Gaara was almost physically pained to see her kind and gentle face so solemn, "I have to go now. I shouldn't even be here."

"Will you come visit me again?" he asked, fearing the answer.

She shrugged, the sadness on her face becoming more profound, "I honestly don't know."

He looked down as anger and frustration rose up within him. To be deprived of her once and now when he finally got to see her, she had to go. He was about to clench his fists in frustration when he was envelopped in a warm, gentle embrace.

Karura hugged her youngest son tightly, "I wish I didn't have to let go. I never wanted to leave you,' Then she pulled back slightly and kissed him on his forehead before whispering, "Don't believe what he told you - I love you."

Gaara's eyes flew open. He could still feel the warmth of his mother's embrace and there in the darkness of his room, he smiled. _'My first dream...'_

**A/N: I don't believe that Gaara's mother never loved him. This is the result of that.**

My friend asked me to write a Halloween fic and this is what came out. I know it's kind of random. I'm considering making this a series - adding parts when I get inspired. They'd all be dreams, of course. Anyway **PLEASE REVIEW!!!** I'd love to know what you think of my randomness.


	2. Sister

**A/N: Gaara and Kankurou are 6 and 8 in the beginning, respectively.**

**Dreamscape**

**Daughter to Father**

Temari watched her brothers playing, a small, almost motherly smile gracing her face. Her eyes followed Kankurou as he chased Gaara around for a little while and eventually tackled him, resulting in a prolonged wrestling match in the sand.

Her smile grew slightly as a content sigh escaped her lips. _'This is the way things should have been,'_ she thought, her gaze locked on them still. The sight was enough to make her cry. She didn't, of course - Temari hadn't cried in years and she certainly didn't intend to start again now. But if she did cry, now would definitely be one of those times.

Suddenly they stopped - just for a second, in the middle of their roughhousing. Then just as abruptly they resumed playing as though nothing had happened. But Temari noticed.

She frowned and looked around, wondering what could have caused them to stop so suddenly. She didn't have to wonder long though because she saw him as soon as she turned around. He was advancing to wards them swiftly, his eyes locked on her brothers' figures in much the same way that hers had been just moments prior. It was the person who had destroyed all chances of the scene before her from actually happening - the Fourth Kazekage.

She couldn't even bring herself to call him Father (which was unsurprising considering that it had been years since she had thought of him as such). He had always treated them as shinobi first, children second. And that was just her and Kankurou. As for Gaara, she would never forgive him for what he'd done to him, for what he'd forced him to endure. In her mind, her real father had died a long time ago, leaving in his place, a cold, merciless man known to her only as the Kazekage.

He was coming ever closer, walking purposefully, his eyes riveted to her brothers who were still playing, seemingly oblivious to his approach. As she watched him draw nearer, an idea came to her. Her fan appeared on the ground next to her and she grabbed it firmly, then dug it into the ground in front of her. Swiftly she started drawing a circle in the sand, enclosing herself with Gaara and Kankurou.

"Temari," Kankurou called out, "what are you doing over there?"

"Nothing!" she called back in a faux cheerful tone, "nothing at all. But I want you two to promise me that you won't step out of this circle, okay? Both of you, I mean it!"

They exchanged a puzzled look and then voiced their assent before returning to their previous activity. As soon as the circle was complete, Temari's fan disappeared. She looked back at her father - he had stopped just outside the line of the circle and his critical gaze had shifted now to her, the slightest air of confusion about him.

Slowly, she walked forward until she was directly in front of him. Then she spoke, each word painfully honest and carefully chosen, "Get away from us. I don't want to have anything to do with you and neither do they. You destroyed this once. I won't let you take it away from us again."

She moved back and when she spoke again, her voice was much louder, now she was speaking to the world, "In fact, this is for everyone. Those boys - they are my family - they are _everything_ to me so if you dare _TOUCH_ them, there will be hell to pay." She finished, her eyes blazing, the venom in her words surprising even to her.

"Temari - nee - chan," Gaara called out, "come play with us!"

"I'll be right there."

She had looked back to answer him and in the second that she had looked away, her father disappeared. Still she scanned the area to make sure that he wasn't lurking somewhere in the shadows but no, he had really gone.

"You know what Gaara, just forget her. She's no fun anyway," she heard Kankurou say.

She grinned, "Oh Kankurou, NOW YOU'RE GOING TO GET IT!" she yelled as she turned and started running toward them. Her actions mirrored Kankurou's from earlier as she chased him around before eventually jumping on him. They fell to the ground in a mass of entangled limbs, laughing wildly and, not wanting to be left out, Gaara jumped in as well.

* * *

Temari awoke with a smile on her face. She looked around - it was still night but after that dream, there was no way she'd get back to sleep. She sighed as she got out of bed and started to make her way out of her room - truth be told, she hated dreams like that - they were so bittersweet.

She moved down the stairs and entered the living room. Just as she'd suspected, Gaara and Kankurou were right where she'd left them - both seated on the couch, only now fast asleep. Seeing Gaara asleep still gave her a bit of a shock but at the same time, she felt pleased - he was becoming more and more like a normal person.

She walked over to the couch as quietly as possible, then stopped behind it, gazing down at her brothers' sleeping faces. She sighed again. To think, she'd almost lost them both in one fell swoop. If she had lost them, she didn't know what she would have done. She reached out and ran her hands through Gaara's hair, _'If only protecting them was as easy as drawing a circle in the sand...'_


End file.
